Chapter 7: Kill
This was the sign that the Banshee's Howl was about to be unleashed!
Zhou Ning reacted the fastest. In his past life playing Apocalypse, Marien had this exact move. As one of the most troublesome early-game bosses, whenever she used it, there'd always be a bunch of clueless players who got caught. The only way to survive was to quickly find cover and hide.
So Zhou Ning spun around decisively and sprinted at full speed toward the right side of the altar, dodging like a serpent. Behind him came the buzzing sound of fireballs—one massive fireball narrowly missed him and ignited the wooden floorboards.
In an instant, flames roared sky-high.
After missing that shot, Nyam clearly didn't understand the danger of the Banshee's Howl. With a dark expression, he continued chanting his spell.
Zhou Ning didn't spare Nyam a glance. He dashed forward and narrowly managed to dive behind the altar behind Marien, flattening himself against the ground.
At that moment, a piercing soundwave erupted—
[You were hit by Banshee's Howl! You took 57 damage!]
[You were hit by Banshee's Howl! You are now stunned, and your movement speed is reduced by 50% for 10 seconds!]
Even though he was prepared, Zhou Ning still got caught. A warm trickle ran from his nose, and his head buzzed dizzily. Instinctively, he wiped it and saw nothing but bright red blood.
That was close!
Looking at his drastically reduced health—only 25 points left—and a nearly depleted stamina bar, Zhou Ning was still shaken. If not for his combat experience from his previous life, he'd probably be dead by now.
Even so, he was hanging by a thread. Thankfully, according to Apocalypse mechanics, health slowly regenerated while out of combat. Otherwise, the next battle would be hopeless.
The others weren't so lucky. Marien's Banshee's Howl tore through the room like a mini-hurricane, sending blood and flesh flying. Fatty Alan and the others in the room were all knocked flat, blood trickling from their noses and mouths.
The black-robed cultists who had just charged in were hit hardest. Right at the center of the blast, they didn't even have time to react before being blasted away and knocked unconscious.
After a long moment, the furious Marien finally stopped howling. Her eight legs scurried left and right as she searched for enemies. Her top priority was, of course, Zhou Ning, who had gravely wounded her. But when she couldn't find him right away, she locked onto her next target—the one who'd just hit her with a fireball: Nyam.
Nyam: "...!"
"Stop! Stop now! I'm not your enemy!"
Still dazed from the direct hit, Nyam had just come to his senses and quickly shouted. But newly spawned low-level demons were mostly ruled by madness and easily lost control. In a flash, Marien's sharp front claws lifted him into the air and tossed him into her maw full of jagged teeth.
Moments later came a chilling scream and the nauseating sound of chewing.
Zhou Ning shuddered. His heart thudded wildly.
There was a rumor back in his previous life: someone with the username "Tragic Wind Emperor" had a bold idea and actually acted on it—he tried having sex with Marien. His ending was… not great. Watching this scene now, Zhou Ning almost wanted to sing him a song—"Stay Rooted".
After devouring Nyam, Marien's health bar began to rapidly regenerate. Zhou Ning didn't hesitate—he ejected the empty shell, spun the cylinder, and calmly aimed another shot at her.
Bang!
The bullet struck Marien square in the forehead, piercing through and leaving a deep hole.
Green blood splattered onto the ground, hissing and corroding whatever it touched.
But Marien didn't seem affected at all. Her health bar only dipped slightly. With a roar, she immediately turned and charged toward Zhou Ning, who was still hiding behind the altar.
Zhou Ning didn't panic. He squeezed the trigger and rotated the cylinder with his left hand, continuing to fire at Marien. His ivory-handled Colt M1873 revolver was custom-made, but even so, it only held ten rounds. After four quick shots, the magazine was finally empty!
The payoff was worth it—Marien's health dropped below half. Her massive body barreled toward him, and then, out of nowhere, leapt up and lunged at him.
"DIE… INSECT!"
Still unfazed, Zhou Ning's sharp eyes locked onto her. The empty Colt M1873 vanished from his hand, replaced by a different weapon he'd obtained during his last simulation run—the Swedish Sjögren semi-automatic shotgun.
As the description said: 12-gauge, the Hive Maker—a true killing machine.
Zhou Ning raised the Sjögren, squinted, and aimed at Marien's head. He pulled the trigger.
BOOM!!!
Blood sprayed everywhere. With the deafening blast, Zhou Ning was forced back a step by the shotgun's brutal recoil. Marien, meanwhile, let out a shriek loud enough to rupture eardrums and crashed to the ground.
-697!
The shotgun lived up to its reputation. Just one shot had reduced Marien's HP from half to a quarter. Her life hung by a thread.
Marien lay on the ground, gasping heavily. Just as she began to inhale for another Banshee's Howl, Zhou Ning shoved the thick barrel of the gun into her mouth.
Bang! Bang!
Two consecutive shots—flesh exploded.
With a glint of cold steel in his eyes, Zhou Ning ignored the searing pain in his arm from the corrosive damage and pulled the trigger twice more right into Marien's bloody maw.
In a flash, Marien's health bar was wiped clean. The madness faded from her eyes at lightning speed.
"No… my children… my love… I don't want to die…"
Zhou Ning had no interest in her last words. He pulled the trigger again.
A third shot thundered out.
Marien's massive body collapsed to the floor. Moments later, her flesh disintegrated and transformed into a swarm of tiny spiders crawling everywhere.
"It's finally over…"
Zhou Ning let out a long breath, returned the shotgun to his inventory, and noticed his back was soaked with cold sweat.
[You have slain the Lesser Demon: Wandering Nightingale Marien. Gained 3,500 XP. You have drawn the attention of the evil god Nyastora.]
Zhou Ning shook his head helplessly. The 3,500 XP felt great, but killing demons came with its downsides—it risked drawing the attention of their boss. Just his luck.
After all, Apocalypse was an open-ended game. Players could side with the forces of justice or, through certain quests, join the forces of evil—or even pledge allegiance to the dark gods. Zhou Ning had clearly already made his choice.
Scanning the area, he saw that Marien had actually helped him quite a bit. Her devastating Banshee's Howl had practically wiped the floor—several of the Curse God Cult members were still either unconscious or incapacitated.
What a woman… Zhou Ning suddenly understood Tragic Wind Emperor's twisted preferences a little better.
He picked up a greatsword from the ground, weighed it in his hand, and began finishing off the fallen cultists.
[You dealt 80 slashing damage to the enemy!] ×5
[You have slain a Curse God Cult follower! Gained 1,200 XP!] ×5
[Your reputation with the Curse God Cult has dropped by 5,000! Current standing: Hostile!]
After finishing off the enemies, Zhou Ning smoothly gained 6,000 XP. At the same time, his reputation with the Curse God Cult fell to "Hostile."
But that didn't matter. As a warrior of justice, wasn't this the kind of evil he should be fighting against?
(Support me and read ahead on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxxtranslation. Thanks for your support! Don't forget to send Power Stones—300 Power Stones = +1 bonus chapter!)